BREAST CANCER REMAINS the second most diagnosed cancer among women in the U.S., surpassed only by skin cancer. One in eight women will develop the disease. However, the outlook for those with breast cancer has improved, as more women diagnosed with the disease are now living longer.
In October 2022, the American Cancer Society published its Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2022-2024 report, which highlights current disease statistics in the U.S. From 1989 to 2020, the overall breast cancer death rate dropped by 43%. Using the most recent data, the report also notes the 15-year relative survival rate is 80%, meaning four out of five women with breast cancer are as likely to live at least 15 years beyond their diagnosis as women their age without the disease. The report attributes these increases to earlier detection and improved targeted therapies.
Despite this progress, the statistics also show Black women with breast cancer continue to have worse outcomes than their white counterparts. From 2012 to 2018, the five-year relative survival rate was 92% for white women with breast cancer and 83% for Black women. Black women are more likely to have triple-negative breast cancer, which tends to have a worse prognosis than other types of breast cancer; to be diagnosed at an advanced stage; and to have other health concerns compared with white women. The report notes that many of these differences stem from Black women having less access to screening and high-quality health care due to systemic racism.
Incidence and mortality rates are from 1975 and 2020. Five-year relative survival rates for all women are from 1975 and 2015. Five-year relative survival rates by race are from 1975-1977 and 2012-2018.
Sources: American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program
